Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School

Roberttown CofE VC Junior and Infant School Church Road, Roberttown, Liversedge, West Yorkshire, WF15 8BE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Almost all pupils make excellent progress at all key stages throughout the school.  Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently above national averages.  Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is outstanding. However, the proportion making more than expected progress in mathematics is slightly below that in reading and writing.  Pupils are extremely well cared for and they are very polite and well mannered.  The behaviour of pupils and their attitudes to learning are often exemplary.  Pupils feel very safe in school and parents overwhelmingly support this view.  Attendance is above the national average and has continued to improve over recent years.  This is a very inclusive school where every pupil is equally valued and well cared for through the school’s pastoral care systems. Bullying is rare and pupils feel very safe.  The quality of teaching is outstanding and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

staff, at all levels throughout the school, have very high expectations of pupils. This underpins pupils’ excellent achievement. Occasionally, teachers’ marking does not give pupils enough information about how to improve their work.  The curriculum is very well planned and provides pupils with an interesting range of subjects and topics that ensures that they enjoy school. This also very effectively supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which is outstanding.  The quality of leadership and management from the headteacher, senior leaders and governors is a strength of the school. They have a very clear view of how well the school is doing and what it needs to do to improve further. They demonstrate a clear commitment and determination to drive the continued improvement of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by nine teachers. Two observations were conducted jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  The inspectors looked closely at the school’s work, including the school’s analysis of how well it is doing and its improvement plan, documents relating to behaviour and safeguarding, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s data on pupils’ progress and work in pupils’ books.  The inspectors met with three members of the governing body, school staff and had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors held meetings with two groups of pupils and listened to some Key Stage 1 pupils reading.  The inspectors took account of the 75 responses from parents recorded in Parent View, together with the 81 responses to a parental survey carried out by the school in June 2012, and informal conversations with parents.

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Inspection team

Alan Parkinson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Marian Thomas Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Roberttown is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is well below the national average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children of service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are well below national averages.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of those supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 The school provides a before-school and after-school childcare club for some pupils from the school. It is managed by the governing body.  In 2012, the school achieved the Investors in Pupils award and the Bradford College Partnership award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in a small number of lessons by ensuring that marking of pupils’ work consistently gives clear and specific guidance to pupils on how to improve their work.  Ensure achievement in mathematics is equal to that of the high standards in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Most children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and abilities that are broadly in line with those that are typically expected for their age. Effective planning of activities and tasks meets the developing needs of the children very well. This high quality provision in all areas of learning enables them to make excellent progress from their individual starting points. By the end of the Reception Year their skills are well above those typically expected for their age across all areas of learning.  At Key Stage 1, pupils’ strong progress ensures that attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently above national averages. Pupils use their phonics skills very well (linking letters to the sounds that they make) to help them read difficult words. As a result, their attainment in reading improves rapidly.  The whole-school reading programme is very effective and is helping to develop pupils’ literacy

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

skills well. This is helping to support pupils’ learning across a range of subjects and topics.  At Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make rapid progress in English and mathematics. In 2012, pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics was significantly above the national average by the end of Year 6.  Current school data show that from Year 2 to Year 6 the proportion of pupils making more than expected progress from their varying starting points is increasing in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the proportion making more than expected progress in mathematics is slightly smaller than that in reading and writing.  The few pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled pupils, and those who have special educational needs make similar, and sometimes better, progress than their classmates. There is no significant gap in the achievement of different groups of pupils, including those supported by

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

the pupil premium because of the effective use of adults within the classroom. The pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide additional teaching resources, one-to-one tuition and small group work to support the development of literacy and numeracy skills. This shows how well the school promotes equality of opportunity for learning and success for all its pupils.  Lesson observations, hearing pupils read and scrutiny of work confirm that current pupils are making consistently very good progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is very well organised and planned. High quality teaching provides pupils with many opportunities to become actively involved in lessons and work is set at precisely the right level for all pupils. Teachers’ strong subject knowledge enables them to explain well and extend pupils’ understanding. Pupils respond well to effective questioning that encourages them to think for themselves.  Pupils say they enjoy their lessons, know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. The quality of teaching has improved over recent years and, as a result of teachers’ high expectations, pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has improved rapidly.  Teaching contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through activities such as school assemblies, links with the local community, school trips and by encouraging cooperation and very effective group working.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Displays of pupils’ work in classrooms and general learning areas help to remind pupils of what they have achieved, to stimulate their learning and to encourage them to develop their creative skills. For example, a display of collages created with pupils from another local school and poems that showed how pupils had thought about ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What makes me special?’.  Pupils’ work is regularly marked with the majority of written comments using praise to encourage. However, teachers do not always provide pupils with clear written comments on what they need to do to improve. This means chances are sometimes missed to take learning even further forward.  Teaching assistants are used very effectively in lessons and make a significant contribution to the learning and progress of lower-ability pupils and those who are disabled or who have special educational needs. They help pupils to learn, develop skills and achieve well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are extremely well behaved in lessons and around the school. They are very polite, well- mannered and courteous towards each other and to adults and visitors.  Pupils show exceptionally caring attitudes towards each other. They are fully aware of the different forms of bullying and report that bullying is rare. When any instances of bullying or minor disputes do occur pupils know they can talk to ‘befrienders’ about their problems and they are quickly and effectively sorted out.  Pupils display extremely positive attitudes towards school. For example, a Year 3 class showed how they knew and followed the 3 L’s – looking, listening and learning. They are keen to be actively engaged in their lessons and instances of them becoming distracted or distracting others are rare.  Pupils say they feel very safe in school because the adults look after them well. They also learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, they learn about ‘stranger danger’, how to use the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

internet safely, firework and bonfire safety, how to swim and about road safety.  The responses to Parent View and to the parental survey carried out by the school indicate that the vast majority of parents agree their children are very safe at school, exceptionally well looked after and that they would recommend the school to other parents.  The school’s ethos and school assemblies contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Parents value the opportunity to attend the weekly celebration assemblies where pupils’ hard work and positive attitudes are recognised and rewarded.  The excellent pastoral system ensures that pupils are cared for very well. For example, additional support is given to the few pupils that join the school at times other than the start of the Reception Year. These pupils are allocated two pupils from their class to be their ‘buddies’ and help them settle in to the school quickly. This shows the school’s commitment to involve all

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

pupils and ensure that they are successful.  Attendance is consistently above the national average and has risen over recent years. Punctuality is excellent.  Some pupils attend the before-school breakfast club and after-school childcare club. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and they are actively engaged in a wide range of interesting activities. These include board games, use of computers and outdoor play that help promote pupils’ learning further and develop their social skills well.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and the governing body know the school very well and provide excellent leadership and management. They, together with the full support of staff, demonstrate a passion and commitment for further improvement and have a clear focus on driving continued improvement of the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Subject leaders and other managers have a clear focus on ensuring all pupils make at least good progress throughout the school. The school’s systems for checking pupils’ progress are highly effective. Pupils at risk of falling behind in their learning are quickly identified and additional support is provided. This shows the school’s commitment to offering equality of opportunity for learning and success for all its pupils.  The rigorous systems and processes used to check the quality of teaching and learning provide accurate feedback to leaders on teachers’ performance to ensure that teaching continues to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

improve. This information is used exceptionally well to identify best practice and provide opportunities to share it across all areas, and to advise the governing body about teachers’ pay awards.  The curriculum is very well planned, meets pupils’ interests very well and prepares them well for the next stage of their education. It offers pupils exciting opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. For example, two Year 6 pupils talked about a recent residential trip they enjoyed ‘trying things they never thought they could do such as quad biking and zip-wiring’ and ‘getting to know friends even better’.  The enrichment activities are a strength of the school and offer pupils the opportunities to develop a range of different skills. Pupils plan and lead various activities such as a singing group, preparing for an art exhibition of pupils’ work and helping at a local playgroup. These activities and opportunities help develop pupils’ confidence, speaking skills and organisational skills very

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The leadership and management are outstanding

well. The school also offers Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils a wide range of extra-curricular activities. These are valued by pupils and include arts and crafts club, cookery, chess, music and sporting activities.  The school has very effective strategies for involving parents. For example, each class regular has ‘family learning events’ where parents work alongside their children on a range of activities based on their current topic and project work.  The local authority provides effective and valuable support to help the school develop the quality of teaching and to support senior leaders and the governing body.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly effective and committed to the school and the community. Its members know the school’s strengths and have an accurate understanding of what needs to be done to improve the school further, in particular about the quality of teaching and pupils’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

achievement. Governors give good support and challenge to the school’s senior leaders and ensure that performance management procedures set appropriate and challenging targets. They understand the connection between the quality of work that staff do and the arrangements for pay progression. The governing body has a good knowledge of the school’s finances. This includes allocating the pupil premium funding to improve the literacy and mathematical skills of pupils who are at risk of falling behind. Safeguarding policies and procedures meet the statutory requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 107721 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 412404

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 241 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Marshall Headteacher Sam Laycock-Smith Date of previous school inspection 3 March 2009 Telephone number 01924 325723 Fax number 01924 325724 Email address office.roberttown@edukirklees.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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